Matthew Bourne, piano / Laurent Dehors, bass clarinet

When Chansons d'amour was released in 2012, we sensed a crack in Laurent Dehors' musical trajectory. It was as if he suddenly dropped the mask of his sometimes whimsical exuberance and agreed to reveal a hitherto hidden part of his innermost nature, the most sensitive part of himself.

"[...] in all the records I've made, there's always an almost ethereal moment. It's out of modesty that I don't reveal more. And here, thanks to Matthew, I felt like presenting this more intimate side of myself..." he confided to me in the interview on the aforementioned album.

Eight years later, with A place that has no memory of you, Matthew Bourne and Laurent Dehors, more than ever accomplices, are back in a position to delve even deeper into the impressionistic exploration of their secret garden.

It's a risky venture, but one strengthened by the mutual trust that drives them. Built up over time, the relationship that unites them today leads them towards this unique dialogue, first sketched out with the Chansons d'amour, and which finds here a happy extension in a form of simplicity that borders on minimalism.

Their music is weightless, in constant search of the right note, the only one that's indispensable. It's the kind of music that arouses the most vivid emotions, and sometimes shivers, and inscribes their music in a kind oftimelessness that we feel is a poetic defense against the sickly air of the present day.

In this approach, which displays a voluptuous desire to take one's time, there's something of a choice of resistance to a societal hype that has become unbearable, as evidenced by the successive versions of "Outré".

More often than not, they are determined to conduct the large, improvised part of their dialogue in the direction of the finest purity, through a subtle interplay of voluptuous nuances capable of touching our hearts.
We can only marvel at the explorations of this sensitive, captivating duo, in constant, almost telepathic communion, and savor the modest delicacy with which they patiently create an atmosphere of great gentleness, fragile and not without its share of mystery
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The work reveals fascinating, irresistible facets. And, above all, a highly personal universe that stands out as a major achievement, to be ranked - and this is a very sincere compliment - alongside the immortal works of Paul Bley and Jimmy Giuffre.

Jean-Paul Ricard